“There is a lot of care that goes into the code here at Goalbook,” said Suzanne.
When there are a million ways a software engineer could write code and the urgency to push something out quickly, the quality of the code can suffer. However, at Goalbook, the Engineering team completes in-depth reviews and takes the time to be intentional about the quality of the code.
Code is not the only thing the Engineering team treats with care and intentionality: people and relationships are the most precious assets.
The Engineering team works closely and interdependently. To support each other in their work, they have pairing sessions. During these sessions, members of the team get on a call and go through the code together, “which is really helpful for someone new to a larger code base,” said Suzanne. “It’s not like someone is there only when I need them. There’s a feeling that everyone here wants to help you grow.”
Being on an Engineering team that is caring, intentional, and supportive fills Suzanne with gratitude. In this Q&A, she shares her favorite things about Goalbook and how her work helps to support Goalbook’s mission.
1. How did you hear about Goalbook, and what attracted you to Goalbook’s mission?
It feels important to me to work for a company that tries to help people in some way. In all my roles so far, that’s what I’ve looked for. As a pharmacist, the work fulfilled me because I had a responsibility to provide quality care to patients and building that trust with them was what I looked forward to every day.
When I switched careers into software engineering, I focused on companies that have a mission they care about. In every job I had, the thing that made me want to go to work every day was knowing I was making someone’s life just a little bit easier in some way.
So, I joined a healthcare startup. We were introducing a product that was meant to help people. However, after about a year, layoffs happened, so I was back to looking for a job again.
I found a job posting for Goalbook on LinkedIn. I dug around a little, researching Goalbook, and I found some of the online articles that were posted. I remember seeing pictures of employees in the articles and thinking, “They look happy to be there and happy to be with each other.” That was very attractive to me.
“In the time I’ve worked at Goalbook, I’ve learned so much because every time there’s a new task, I’m encouraged to take it and learn something new.”
2. What is your role, and what are your favorite parts of it?
I’m a full stack software engineer. I help build new features that go into our product, Goalbook Toolkit, and make sure that it works well for the educators who use it. I also help to maintain internal tools our team uses. All of the work involves keeping up with industry standards like making sure our products are accessible and that security is up to date.
One of my favorite parts is that there are opportunities to learn and grow for myself as a software engineer. I think that sometimes software engineers can be somewhat funneled in their scope of work.
But here at Goalbook, we get to try everything. It can seem a little daunting at first, but I tend to be curious on how things connect to each other, so being full stack provides a lot of opportunities to dig into that. In the time I’ve worked at Goalbook, I’ve learned so much because every time there’s a new task, I’m encouraged to take it. Also, my team provides a lot of support, so I like that as well.
3. In your eyes, how does your work support Goalbook’s mission?
Our mission is to empower educators to transform instruction so all students succeed. We want to make sure Goalbook Toolkit is accessible, user-friendly, and as efficient to use as it can be.
An educator has so much to think about during the day; I want to make Goalbook Toolkit intuitive and effective, so they don’t have to think about how to use it. I feel responsible for building Goalbook Toolkit in a way that makes an educator’s day easier and that works well for them.
We’re constantly looking for ways to improve it, as well. We take in a lot of user feedback and try to incorporate it.
4. What have you learned in your role so far?
Being full-stack means you can do work across the front end (what the users see) and the back end (all the good stuff that sets up for a nice user experience in the front). There’s a lot to think about when architecting new features across the whole stack.
Coming to Goalbook was a little intimidating because I didn’t know everything. But I was able to spend time learning and familiarizing myself with our product. As I took on projects, I had to consider how the new pieces fit into an existing codebase because making a change in one place could have unintended effects somewhere else. I think this is probably the biggest thing I’ve learned.
I also learned how to monitor our systems and debug any issues that crop up. If something goes wrong, we need to know how to fix it and where to look. That can actually be a big learning curve.
“I come out feeling so grateful to be part of the team that I am on and that I get to see everyone in person twice a year. I love that Goalbook gives us a chance to do that.”
5. What are one or two things you love here?
The first thing is our Team Weeks. I love being able to see people in person. Working remotely is great for many reasons. Every day I’m working with so many people, sometimes indirectly. We’re all connected even though we may not talk every day.
So being able to see everyone in person is so much fun. There’s an exciting energy, and I want to take it all in when I’m there.
One thing I always look forward to is our Engineering team dinner that we have at each Team Week. These dinners are always a highlight of Team Weeks because we’re in a different environment. We don’t talk about work, and it’s just fun to see everyone in a different light and learn more about them on a personal level. When I think back to these team dinners, I’m always laughing with my team, and I just feel really fulfilled.
At the end of every Team Week, I’m always a little bit sad that it’s over. But I come out feeling so grateful to be part of the team that I am on and that I get to see everyone in person twice a year. I love that Goalbook gives us a chance to do that.
6. What is your favorite memory during your time at Goalbook?
During the Summer Team Week in 2025 in Minneapolis, the Engineering team did an escape room that was like a prison, and this is just such a core memory for me now.
I got locked into one of the cells by myself. I could hear Keziyah laughing outside, and I was trying to see what was going on. So I’m standing on my tippy toes, trying to see what’s happening. I’m peeking my head up into the window with bars in the door. Apparently, all Keziyah could see was the top of my head, and it was cracking her up.
We had to work together to get me out, and I was constantly on my tiptoes. Every time I poked my head out, it would just be half of my face in the cell door. She started laughing, and it started this chain reaction of her laughing, then me laughing, and then her laughing. She took a picture from her point of view, so I could see what she was looking at, and it always cracks me up.
7. What team activity has been your favorite?
Another memorable team activity was in Denver during our Summer Team Week in 2024. The Engineering and Partnerships teams played pickleball with each other.
We had an instructor who was teaching us the rules and techniques of how to hold the handle or hit the thing (Clearly, I took nothing away from pickleball!). One of the Partnerships team members and I were having the best time, but it was just not clicking for us. Every time we hit the ball, or attempted to, we would laugh.
What made it so memorable for me is that my work with the Partnerships team doesn’t directly overlap, so if it weren’t for that activity, I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to connect with people on other teams. It made me realize what a delight it is to be able to do that.
8. What are you reading/listening to/watching right now?
Listening to: I like a lot of different kinds of music and go through phases of what I listen to, but there is one artist I inevitably find my way back to: Nujabes. He does Hip Hop and Jazz mixes. I find them calming and nice to listen to, and they always put me in a good mood.
Watching: I shamelessly love watching reality TV. I love Love Island so much. I started with the UK and watched them religiously when they came out. There’s also the U.S., Australia, and then they have spin-offs like Love Island: All Stars and Love Island Games — that one was a great spin-off. It’s just a fun watch, and it’s always a good time talking to my friends about everything going down in the villa.
9. Early bird or night owl?
Definitely a night owl. There’s something about the night that makes me feel nice and peaceful. It’s also when my friends and I can get together and play some games which is a fun way to unwind.
I do love an iced coffee in the morning, though. When it’s nighttime, and I’m getting ready to go to bed, I can’t wait to have my iced coffee when I wake up.
10. Is there anything you’d like to add?
Just that I feel really lucky to be a part of the Engineering team here.
